Landmark measure to fund early intervention for mental illness moves to full Senate

AB 1315 would create a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to expand evidence-based models for early detection, prevention and intervention of psychosis and serious mood disorders.

SACRAMENTO, CA – A landmark measure to advance and expand early intervention services for psychosis and serious mood disorders moved out of the California Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file on a unanimous vote Friday, and now moves to the full Senate.

The bill, AB 1315 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, would create a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership, harnessing the resources of California’s private sector to help shift the paradigm for mental health treatment from one centered on Stage 4 crisis care to one that prioritizes early intervention and management of serious illness.

The bill is a top priority for the Steinberg Institute, which is sponsoring the measure as part of its broader effort to ensure brain health is treated with the same urgency and sweep as physical health. The legislation has drawn support from an array of organizations in the public and private sectors committed to advancing the science surrounding the causes, diagnoses and treatment of mental illness.

Among the industry leaders and nonprofit organizations that have signed on in support: Verily Life Sciences; Mindstrong; One Mind Institute; The Jed Foundation; the California Hospital Association; the California Psychiatric Association; the California College of Emergency Room Physicians; Sutter Health; the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission; the California State Association of Counties; the Western Center on Law and Poverty; and the California Police Chiefs Association.

The intent of AB 1315 is to greatly expand resources for early detection of psychosis and other symptoms of mental illness in young people in California, and to respond with comprehensive services that have proven successful in arresting diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression before they become disabling.

AB 1315 would leverage existing mental health funding by setting up a public-private partnership that would generate additional funding for services dedicated to early detection and prevention of mental illness. Specifically, it would create a special account to be fully supported by private donations and federal, state and private grants. Counties that apply for and receive awards would have to provide matching funding.